In time for tonight's 2016 MLB All-Star Game, an Under Armour Running campaign from Droga5 New York debuts with a TV and digital spot titled “Numbers” which features National League MVP and four-time All-Star, outfielder Bryce Harper. Directed by Aoife McArdle via production houses Somesuch and Anonymous Content, “Numbers” tells Harper’s story through the voice of his high school coach, Sam Thomas. As he points out the numbers that have put pressure on Harper throughout his career, we see Harper training in an empty ballpark among visual representations of those numbers frantically emerging all over – from seat numbers to scoreboards to section numbers. The film ends on a monumental shot of his feet rotating on home plate, illustrating that in a sport dominated by numbers, the genesis of Harper’s brilliance comes not from statistics, but from the first step and pivot in the batter’s box.
The overall global marketing campaign is driven by the tagline “It Comes From Below,” showing that every great sporting moment starts with the feet and that strong footwork, while often overlooked, provides the foundation to defy expectations and achieve athletic excellence.
Credits
Client Under Armour Agency Droga5 NY David Droga, creative chairman; Ted Royer, chief creative officer; Felix Richter, Alexander Nowak, group creative directors; Bryan Wolff, copywriter; Daniel Sumarna, art director; Sally-Ann Dale, chief creation officer; David Cardinali, executive producer; Troy Smith, associate producer; Jonny Bauer, global chief strategy officer; Harry Roman, head of strategy; Sam Matthews, strategy director; Colleen Leddy, head of communications strategy; Hillary Heath, communications strategy director; Kathryn Ruoco, communications strategist; Newman Granger, strategist; Anthony Khaykin, sr. data strategist. Production Somesuch and Anonymous Aoife McArdle, director; Sally Campbell, Tim Nash, founding partners, Somesuch; Eric Stern, managing director, Anonymous; SueEllen Clair, exec producer, Anonymous; Laurie Boccaccio, producer; Steve Annis, DP; Yianni Papadopoulos, production manager. Editorial Final Cut Dan Sherwen, editor; Geoff Hastings, cutting assistant, NY; Leila Gaabi, assistant editor, UK; Sarah Roebuck, exec producer; Jen Sienkwicz, head of production; Frankie Elster, producer (UK); Jamie Nagler, producer (NY). Postproduction BlackSmith Charlotte Arnold, exec producer; Megan Sweet, producer; Iwan Zwarts, VFX supervisor. Music/Sound Design Siren/Factory Sean Atherton, partner & company director
After losing part of his right leg due to cancer, Terry Fox campaigned to raise national awareness and funding for cancer research by running his Marathon of Hope, a cross-Canada 42-km daily run, on his prosthetic leg. Fox, who died in 1981, is a national hero. His image will be on Canada’s new $5 bill.
In this two-minute video titled “Finish It,” the Marathon of Hope is recreated. It’s all done in one take, and it features an actor/marathon runner who uses a prosthesis on the same leg as Fox. CGI was deployed to make him look more like Fox. To further ensure the actor represented Fox accurately, not only did the actor and team watch and study many videos of Terry, but Terry’s brothers, Fred and Darrel, coached the actor on Terry’s running style and mannerisms. They also created a copy of Terry’s prosthesis for the actor to use for the shoot.
The message is clear. As the Marathon of Hope now marks its 45th anniversary, we now have the opportunity to “Finish It” for Fox, raising money and awareness to get a cure for cancer over the finish line, completing the work that Fox started. The public service film starts with Fox on the marathon run, eventually joined by a crowd of other dedicated runners from all walks of life who take over the race.
Mark Zibert directed via production company Scouts Honour for Toronto agency Diamond. The video features a never-before-heard version of the song “Courage” from Canadian band The Tragically Hip.
“We wanted to create a campaign that captures the magnitude of Terry Fox’s legacy while driving meaningful action,” said Peter Ignazi, chief creative officer at Diamond. “By revisiting the Marathon of Hope with such care and reverence, we aimed to reignite Terry’s mission and... Read More
